[Chaturamnaya] Stories from the Shiva Purana - 6 (Shiva is Saattvic and Vishnu is Tamasic)

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from the previous post.)
 
 
An oft-repeated assertion by Vaishnavas is that “Vishnu is Saattvic and Shiva is Tamasic”, which is for instance mentioned in the
Vishnu Purana:
 
  https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/vishnu-purana-wilson/d/doc115937.html
 
  (Book 1, Chapter 2)
 
  “Affecting then the quality of activity, Hari, the lord of all, himself becoming Brahma, engaged in the creation of the universe.
  Vishnu with the quality of goodness, and of immeasurable power, preserves created things through successive ages, until the close
  of the period termed a Kalpa; when the same mighty deity, Janarddana, invested with the quality of darkness, assumes the form of Rudra,
  and swallows up the universe.”
 
 
Surprisingly, the Shiva Purana does not disagree with the above claim, and in fact affirms the same:
 
  https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc226154.html
 
  (Section 2.5, Chapter 13)
 
  “Obeisance to Shiva, the Chief Lord of the gods, the Supreme Soul, the Three-eyed, possessed of matted hair. With the Rajas attribute,
  You alone create the worlds assuming the name Brahma. You are identical with Vishnu in Sattva attribute and You protect the entire universe.
  With the Tamas attribute You assume the form of Shiva, O Great God and You alone devour the universe composed of five elements.”
 
 
However, the Shiva Purana explicates the view further, clarifying that the preceding description of the Gunas of the Trinity only refers to their
exterior activities. When it comes to their interior qualities, the converse is really the case! In other words, Shiva is actually Saattvic on
the inside, whereas Vishnu is internally Tamasic and Brahma stays Rajasic either way:
 
  https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc225977.html
 
  (Section 2.1, Chapter 9)
 
  Shiva said, “I am the Supreme Brahman, the Eternal, the Endless, the Perfect and the Unsullied. Vishnu has Tamas within but Sattva outside.
  He is the protector of the three worlds. Hara who causes dissolution of three worlds has Sattva within but Tamas outside. Brahma who creates
  the three worlds has Rajas both within and without. This is the position of the Gunas in the three deities. Shiva is spoken of as different
  from the Gunas.”
 
 
(To be Continued)